Displaced

He said leaflets would be dropped and safe passage opened for them to move into Government-held territory.

Aid agencies in Sri Lanka say 134,000 displaced people are in Kilinochchi district alone. More than half of them have fled their homes in the last three months, ahead of an advance by Government forces into territory controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Many have gathered in the areas around Kilinochchi town - the rebels' administrative headquarters and a key strategic target if the military is to win the civil war.

Sri Lanka's Government has accused the Tigers of using the civilians as human shields.

“Even how much force the LTTE applies on these people, they won't be able to contain for a longer period. we are planning to give passage, a safe area for them to come out of that”.Said Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Up to now relatively few of those displaced by the fighting in the north have crossed into Government controlled areas. Amnesty International has accused the Government of putting those who have been able to leave LTTE areas into temporary shelters.